Sweet Sunday Sketch #71

Good morning! It's a glorious holiday here in the US and that means no school today! Woohoo! It was absolutely blissful to go to bed last night and not have to set an alarm for this morning. I do love my sleep. :)

I used some of my free time yesterday to work on my card for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch this week. I took a nod from Karen and turned my card into a square to keep the oval a little bit smaller. I must be in a retro mood, because I reached into some of my ooooold stamps, this one being from MFT. I can't remember the last time I inked up this set! But this little sundae was staring at me from my stamp drawer and just felt right with this bright color scheme. I mixed some "new" into this card as well, using some of my new Dotti Biscotti dp that I got from PTI in my last order. It had yet to be cut and it was high time to play around with it.

I guess that's it out of me today. It going to be a great day of relaxation, a few fun errands, and stamping. Perfect. Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- MFT: Here's the Scoop
Paper- Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate, Whisper White, Dotti Biscotti dp
Ink- Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories- button, ribbon, twine, medium scallop die, nestabilities, jewels, copics, dimensionals

Viva la Verve!

It's a new month of Viva la Verve challenges over on Verve's Splitcoast forum, and Amber has us walking through kids' rooms all month long. We had three great inspiration pictures, and I immediately latched on to the third picture. I later discovered it is a Pottery Barn room. Figures. Who doesn't love Pottery Barn??? If only money grew on trees, lol.

My card ended up having a much more masculine feel than my normal... Which caught me a little off guard. I think this would be an easy card to duplicate but trade the ribbon for some twine for a guy birthday. I'm definitely keeping this card on file for the future!

I stamped a bunch of the little stars from Verve's Starstruck using Moonlight White ink on the red background, and then three more stars in Enchanted Evening ink to go under the sentiment. The blue sentiment panel and the three stars are popped up to give the card some dimension. I had almost finished this card when I realized that the corners of the blue square felt a little a lonely. Brads to the rescue!

This gorgeous Sunday morning finds me having breakfast with my roomie (pancakes, yum!), and then we're off to church. We both haven't been to our church for the last few weeks due to travelling (me) and concerts (her). We've got some serious sermon catch-up to do! We were talking on Friday about how excited we are to finally get to go again. Then it's off to run a few quick errands for my sister's bridal shower next weekend, then home. There could be some stamping taking place once I'm home. :)

Ok. Enough out of me for today. Have a lovely spring day! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-
Stamps- Verve: Starstruck, Happy Birthday PJ
Paper- Whisper White, Red Riding Hood, Enchanted Evening, Dark Chocolate, Bitty Box dp
Ink- Chocolate Chip, Enchanted Evening, Moonlight White
Accessories- ribbon, apron lace punch, brads, dimensionals, nestabilities, tea dye stain

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #115

It's been a little while since I've had the chance to play along with Taylor's sketch challenges, but as soon as I saw her sketch for this week, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Love it when that happens! The mojo is back!

I was really in a coloring mood when I was sketch hunting, and this layout lent itself perfectly to this little dessert tower. I bought this stamp from Stampendous ages and ages ago, but have only used it a few times. Which really is a shame... It's such a great stamp! I pulled out my copic markers, placed some glossy accents on the strawberries and cherries, and glittered a few of the presents and cupcake wrappers. It's so sparklie and cheery.

For the paper, I used MME's Ooh La La dp. I was going to use that aqua polka dot dp as the main background, but when I turned it over to adhere the glue to the back, this lovely design was staring me in the face. It just had to be used! So the polka dots got demoted to the vertical panel. :) But I think it is happier there. Some pearls, ribbon (so long, circle!), and tea dye staining around the edges and this card was done! I think the coloring was the longest part, but the part that could have gone on longer, hehe. I colored a pale cream shadow around the whole tier, but it's really hard to see in the picture. In person, it really looks warm, and like it has dimension.

On the docket today is more stamping, some reading, dishes (yay?), and maybe a movie this evening with the roomie. We want to go see Prince of Persia and figured we would let the opening night crowds at it and then see it a day or two later. We also both have Monday off, so we're trying to think of something to do together. It's a rare day when we both have a whole day off at the same time!

Happy Saturday! Hope you got to sleep in this morning! Thanks for stopping by.
Supplies- Stamps- Stampendous: Tiers of Treats
Paper- Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss, Whisper White, MME Ooh La La dp
Ink- Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories- ribbon, copics, nestabilities, dimensionals, glossy accents, stickles, pearls, tea dye stain

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #75

I think I had a revelation just a bit ago. When the mojo is alluding me, it's time for an obvious case! I may not have been creating for the last few weeks, but I've sure been eyeing some cards all over the blogosphere. This one, by Dawn McVey, had a color combo that completely caught my eye. I had to try!

Also enter the trusty sketch challenge... And this one is Mercy's Tuesday Sketch. That darn flower embellishment in the corner sure gave me a good work over. I made about four different flowers and didn't like a singe one of them! Another revelation. When in doubt, use a button! I love this little rounded square button I found in my Berry Sorbet stash. So perfect for some of my rounded corners!

I stamped the verse in Going Gray and then rock-n-rolled some Berry Sorbet onto the edges. The polka dots are stamped in Vintage Cream ink. This is one of those cards I wish you could see in person. A picture just doesn't do it justice. :)

It's a glorious three-day weekend for me (and many others!). The weather is supposed to be great as well. Maybe a trip to the beach or some outdoor activity is in order. I definitely plan to spend some quality time sitting outside and reading. There's some shopping to be done this weekend as well for my sister's bridal shower that I'm hosting/throwing next weekend. No rest for the wear, eh?! But I'm so excited to see my sister! I pick her up on next Friday evening at the airport. :)

Happy Memorial Weekend to my US friends! Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Polka Dot Basics, Verve- 1 Cor. 15:57 PJ
Paper- Berry Sorbet, Going Gray, Very Vanilla
Ink- Going Gray, Berry Sorbet, Vintage Cream
Accessories- ribbon, button, twine, dimensionals, apron lace punch

May Madness

Hello blog! Long time no see. I think it has been close to two and a half weeks since my last post. Sheesh! That's definitely the longest I have gone without stamping since I started creating on my own. Things in my world got a bit crazy over the last few weeks between bridal showers, airplane flights, Open House, the Tour of California, and just life in general. I did manage to take my camera along for the wild ride and thought I'd share a few pictures with you. And warning... There's a lot of them! Grab some chocolate, or popcorn, and enjoy!

First off was Mother's Day. I had promised my dad a little less than a year ago that I would take him to a Dodger's game. Well, last season came and went and we never made it. Ah, life. So, we finally made it happen. My mom was going to be up north for Mother's Day, so we figured a Mother's Day game wouldn't be a problem. When Mom surprised us by decided to come to So Cal for the weekend! A new ticket purchase later, the three of us had a blast at the game. It helped that we won. :)

Not as great of a picture, but it's the only one we got of the three of us.

Next, I went away for a weekend (and ya didn't even know it!). I left on an airplane for Bend, OR two weekends ago. My bf Heather was having her bridal shower up there, mostly with church ladies, but I was so lucky to have that weekend free to share the moment with her! I only snapped a couple pictures, but here's a little taste.

Such a beautiful table spread. We accidentally ate lunch right before the shower, completely forgetting that there would be food at the shower. Oops! I still made a little bit of room for some strawberry shortcake. :)

Silly me didn't take any pictures while she was actually opening her presents. I was too busy making her ribbon & bow bouquet for her rehearsal. Darn crafty gene, lol.

Third up, Open House! I most definitely have a love/hate relationship with this event. I hate all of the prep time and work that goes into "decking" out our rooms. For the two weeks leading up to OH, I literally worked 12-14 hour days at school, and then would come home, sit at my computer, and keep on working. Typing labels, student poems, creating tour handouts, etc. But the end product makes it all worth it. And the kids' faces... The parents' faces! And you've got to love the "shoppers" for next year's group of first graders. :)

My classroom! I'm standing in the back corner looking toward my front door. My room was decked out in life cycle craziness, lol. We studied life cycles, animal classifications (mammal, insect, etc.), and did tons of writing. But it looked great and really was fun (sometimes, hehe).

Now looking from the front door to the back corner. The kids' desks were covered in work as well, but I took this picture after they had all come through.

Ok. Next up is a little trip with Mom to the hair salon! I was waaaaaaay overdue to get my hair trimmed, so I had a nice, clean palette for Bogart (yup, that's his name!) to work with. Mom got a trial run on her hair for my sister's wedding in July. We'll get trims one more time before then.

I swear this man can work miracles with my stubborn, straight, thick hair. It does previously impossible (good) things when he touches it! Love!

After grabbing a quick lunch at Cantor's Jewish Deli (gotta indulge the good Jewish girl in me) of matza ball soup and latkes, Mom and I jumped over to the Staples Center to catch the seventh stage of the Tour of California. The ToC is the largest stage road bike race in the US. Mom and I, especially, are big bicycling fans. My life is dedicated to the Tour de France every July, lol. So the opportunity to see these professional guys from all of the the US and Europe is such a treat! I've attended the Southern California stages for the last three or four years, but this was the first time Mom could make it. We had a blast! This stage just happened to be a time trial, meaning we got to see each rider individually ride to beat the clock. It was such a great chance to really see the riders.

This is Dave Zabriskie, whom ended up taking second place in the entire race.

Phew! Almost done!

Finally, to end the madness, was the second day of my ToC experience. This time with Dad! Dad and I drove out to Thousand Oaks to catch the 8th stage on Sunday. We made it in time to catch the start and then drove over near the finish line (and the fun vendors) to catch the rest of the race. They were completing a four-lap circuit, which meant that we got to watch them all go by four times instead of just one quick blitz. Yet another great day! The weather was absolutely picture perfect. And there was a Mellow Johnny's booth at this stage!!! Mellow Johnny's is Lance Armstrong's shop in Austin, TX. Mellow Johnny's (according to Lance) is how Texans pronounce Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey in French... The yellow jersey is worn by the race leader... Lance has 7). I totally scored myself a Mellow Johnny's T-shirt, lol.

I digress. Here are the last of my pictures for this already way too long post. :)

Standing on the start line route about 1 minute after the riders went through.

That's Levi Leipheimer on the left. He's won the ToC for the last four years straight. He finished in third this year. He rides on the same team as Lance Armstrong (whom crashed out of the race two days prior so we didn't get to see him this year. So sad!).

And "Big" George Hincapie. As famous as Lance is, this man holds the heart of America. And here he's sporting the US Champions jersey. And stretching his legs, lol.

Well, hope you enjoy the picture tour of my life over the last two and one half weeks. I actually sat and stamped for the first time today. I made 1 card and 2 flops, hehe. I hate the learning curve getting back into the stamping groove. It always takes a few days for the mojo to return. Know what I mean?

It's good to be back amongst the living (for a little while at least! This summer is going to be just as crazy!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Viva la Verve!

Good afternoon! I have my Viva la Verve card to share with you this afternoon. We're still walking through hobby rooms this month, and man-oh-man, did Amber have some great ones for us this week! I immediately latched onto the first inspiration picture. This blue room, and especially that rug, screamed white embossed leaves from my Turning a New Leaf stamps! The call just couldn't be denied.

I popped up the circle image from Round & Round, glittered the rim, added a bow, drew a quick frame around the blue rectangle with a white pen, and called it done. Well, I also added some jewels to the middle of the flowers. But overall, this was a quick and simple card.

It's going to be a long evening... We have a staff meeting after school today, followed by some more working in my room to prep for Open House, followed by a board meeting at the district office. The teachers are being asked to be at the meeting to show strength in numbers for our negotiations for next year (and our job security). I still don't know whether I have a job for next year or not. I learned some new information today that makes it look a little bit doubtful. It was looking like I had a little bit of hope.... Now, I'm not so sure. The best I can do is keep praying, hoping, and continue moving forward. Whether I do have a job or not is not in my hands, but in hands much bigger and much stronger than my own. It is times like these I am so glad to have my big God to lean on.

Here's hoping your Tuesday is shorter than mine! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-
Stamps- PTI: Round & Round
Paper- Enchanted Evening, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Ink- Versamark, Enchanted Evening
Accessories- ribbon, jewels, white ep, white gel pen, dimensionals, medium scallop die (PTI), glitter

Sweet Sunday Sketch #68

Good evening! I'm back with another pink card. Apparently pink has been on my mind lately. Especially Berry Sorbet pink, along with some Kraft and White. *sigh* So pretty.

Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch had a bunch of fun panels on it this week. I tried my best at using one dp and cutting it so that all of the cuts would line up with each other. That's tougher than it looks! Sheesh! I used some dp from My Mind's Eye's Ooh La La collection. Such pretty, vibrant colors in this collection. I added a strip of bling under the sentiment, and a big vertical bow for a tiny bit of contrast.

The Dodger's game yesterday was so much fun! Mom, Dad, and I rode the metro into Los Angeles, and then hopped the free Dodger Express Shuttle up to the stadium. We arrived with the perfect amount of time to grab a few Dodger Dogs, some Cracker Jack, and drinks before the first pitch. And better yet, we won! Which was good, because the Dodgers had lost badly to Rockies (the same team we saw) the night before. We took a few pictures on Mom's camera... I'll have to steal those. :)

Well, I'm exhausted... So it is dinner, Chuck, and bed for me tonight. Open House is next Thursday... We're in the home stretch! And 27 days! Enough said, lol.

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Big & Bold Wishes
Paper- Kraft, Whisper White, Berry Sorbet, MME Ooh La La dp
Ink- Berry Sorbet, Creamy Caramel
Accessories- jewels, ribbon

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #71

Good evening! It was an absolutely gorgeous day down here in So Cal. Low 80s, a nice breeze.... *sigh* I could have sat outside for hours today.

I had another wonderful opportunity to serve with our Breadrunners ministry at church today and cook a big meal for a family in need. I actually got to meet the family (parents + 4 boys... Mom is undergoing chemo for cancer), and chatted with them for a while. I always walk away from these opportunities feeling so filled and joyful. Most of my deliveries are to families or people with serious illnesses, yet through it all, they are always so filled with God and peace in the battle. It is such a blessing to get to serve them in a special way. Taking away the worry of feeding her family eased my new friend's mind today. Have I mentioned that I love to cook? And cooking for others is even better!

After delivering the food, I met up with my mom, whom just happens to be in town this weekend. Good timing, eh? We went and pampered ourselves a bit, getting pedicures. Oh how I wish the massage part lasted longer! After that it was home, and straight to the stamping studio. :) I've had the itch to stamp all day long!

I haven't played along with Mercy's sketches for a few weeks now, so it was high time to get my act together. :) I kept my card nice and squared, with lovely corners and 90 degree angles. Ah, they just make my heart happy, lol. I kept that little embellishment in the corner simple by stamping some Text Style onto paper and die cutting flowers. I crumpled them up, rubbed some gray on the rims, added a button (with twine colored with a gray copic marker!), and called it done. I hate to admit this, but I used my first library card on here as well. These always look so neat on everyone elses' cards, but I've been too nervous to try one out until now. I think I may be a new convert. ;) Ack! I just now realized that this is actually last week's sketch. Where has the time gone? Now I need to catch up on this week's sketch. Sheesh. lol

Tomorrow my mom, dad, and myself are off to the Dodger's game. I promised my dad we would attend one almost a year ago... And the time came and went. I called up a few days ago determined to find a day when we could both go. I bought the tickets, and then got a call the next day saying my mom had decided to make the trek to So Cal for this weekend as well. Therefore, she's coming, too! I'm so excited! It should be a great Mother's Day.... And a Dodger Dog is most definitely in my future, hehe.

For you mothers out there, have a wonderful and blessed Mother's Day!

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Text Style, Verve: Beautiful Kindness
Paper- Whisper White, Hawaiian Shores, Green Boutique dp
Ink- Basic Black, Going Gray
Accessories- ribbon, twine, copic marker, button, flower nestabilities

Viva la Verve!

I'm dropping in for a fly-by posting. I had a few spare minutes this evening and whipped this up as quickly as possible (and in between a million interruptions!). Open House is in less than two weeks, and I have therefore been working ridiculously long hours at work for the last week, and it won't let up until Open House passes on the 20th. But my room is going to look sooo good! I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Open House, hehe.

We're walking through hobby rooms this month for Viva la Verve. The rooms Amber chose for us this last week were all so cheery and bright! Just as a crafty/hobby room should be. :)

I chose the third inspiration picture. That little rectangle of material (I think?) reminded me so much of this BoBunny paper I have, and it just begged to be used up! A big, sparkly butterfly, some buttons, and some twine finished this card off. I can't wait to see what Amber has in store for us tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies-
Stamps- Verve: Thank You
Paper- Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Whisper White, BoBunny dp
Ink- Pure Poppy
Accessories- twine, buttons, butterfly die, brads, scallop edge punch, jewels

Fall to Layout

Good evening! I have a simple little clean and simple card for you this evening. My high school best friend and her husband just welcomed this first little baby into the world last week. Her sweet name is Padgett Evelyn. Isn't that a unique and perfectly beautiful name? She looks so sweet, and so much like Ann!

With my last Papertrey Ink order, I also received a free Anniversary stamp set, which is so cute! I love it! It was just begging to be inked up, and since it had this little baby sentiment in it, the stamps were perfect for my card!

I stamped the polka dot stamp in Versamark and embossed with white ep. I stamped the butterfly image on some polka dot paper, and glittered the circumference for some sparkle. After watching Nichole Heady's ribbon tutorial, I decided to give it a try on my own. A big bow just felt like too much on this card, so a little ribbon folding felt like the perfect alternative.

We're barbecuing this evening, yay! Those yummy smells drifting into our house last night finally got the better of us. :) But you won't find me complaining! Oh, and loved The Blind Side. I can't believe it took us so long to see it! Such a beautiful story.

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Round & Round
Ink- Versamark, Berry Sorbet, Basic Black
Paper- Kraft, Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Bitty Dots dp
Accessories- ribbon, white ep, glitter, glue pen, nestabilities, dimensionals, sticky strip

A Bridal Shower For My Sister

I think I spent the majority of today cranking this card out. Of course, I made the card, and then multiplied it by 30. :) Thank goodness for roommates to drag into the mass production line!

My sister is getting married in July and I'm throwing her a shower on June 5th. I figured this was the weekend to crank out my invites... And the guest list kept on growing today! Every time I would finish a stack of cards (originally 24), a few more people would be added, hehe.

Sharon's whole wedding is very "nature" themed. It is going to be held outdoors, in the mountains, on top of a mountain. Therefore, I stuck with nature colors and stamps. As soon as I saw Dawn McVey's new stamp Background Basics: Woodgrain, I knew I had to have it! I was so perfect for these cards! I also pulled out that big leaf from Turning a New Leaf, stamped it thirty times, and yes, cut it out 30 times! Sheesh. Why oh why did I create a cutting project when that is my least favorite thing?!

I wanted to keep this card nice and flat so that I wouldn't have to pay extra postage on 30 cards, so a twine bow was the only ribbon. I did pop up the leaf and sentiment on dimensionals for just a little bit of pop.

Oh goodness, does it feel good to have these done! I love how they turned out. The picture really doesn't do them justice. I used up a ton of my dp and twine, so that's going to have to be refilled. But it's always good to finish something off in a great way. I didn't hoard it. :)

Oh, and the Celebrate font is the same font as their wedding invitations! I was so excited I had this stamp set!

Well, that's it out of me for today. The roomie and I are off to grab a movie to watch this evening (maybe The Blind Side. I know, I know. We haven't seen it yet!). And someone nearby is barbecuing and it smells really good... Maybe a grocery store stop is in order...

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Turning a New Leaf, Say It With Style, Woodgrain
Paper- Kraft, Spring Moss, Whisper White, Turning a New Leaf dp
Ink- Versamark, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories- twine, dimensionals, tea dye stain